Whiting senior Tom Davenport said there’s a driving force, a single motivation behind his willingness to embrace any role.

“It’s my brothers,” Davenport said, referring to his 39 Whiting teammates. “I don’t know how I’d be able to sleep at night if I knew that I let them down.”

And that’s why the 6-foot-1, 240-pound running back/linebacker never turns down an assignment from Whiting’s coaches.

He’ll run the ball. He’ll block so another teammate can run the ball. He’ll catch passes out of the backfield. He’ll line up on defense. He’ll even punt.

And like he did during Friday’s 37-19 Class 2A Sectional 33 championship win over Boone Grove, he’ll even throw a pass.

After slow starts by each team, Davenport opened the scoring with a 44-yard touchdown pass to Nino Barbosa on a fake punt.

Davenport said he nearly ruined the play by initially going the wrong way.

“It was a screen to the left, and I was supposed to roll right,” Davenport said.

After two steps to the left, Davenport corrected his course to the right and threw back to Barbosa for the game’s first TD.

Dave Melton / Post-Tribune

Senior Tom Davenport has rushed for 780 yards to rank second on the team, in one of the numerous roles he handles for Whiting.

Senior Tom Davenport has rushed for 780 yards to rank second on the team, in one of the numerous roles he handles for Whiting. (Dave Melton / Post-Tribune)

“Tom can do everything,” Whiting coach Jeff Cain said. “And it doesn’t hurt that we’re giving it to (Barbosa) in open space. It’s something we’ve had in for a while, and we really felt like it was the right time.”

Davenport also had Whiting’s second TD on a 51-yard run, nearly half of his 106 yards in the game.

But the versatility to throw for one score and run for another is indicative of the athleticism Davenport has developed over his career, according to Chris Davenport — Tom’s father and Whiting’s offensive coordinator.

“He’s always played a lot,” Chris Davenport said. “Even in Pop Warner, when he was a more of a lineman. But as he’s become more athletic, we’ve moved him around to find good spots to use his size and the speed he’s starting to get now.”

Davenport has rushed for 780 yards and 18 TDs this season. He also has six tackles and one sack on defense during sporadic appearances on that side of the ball.

He’s only punted twice this season, but the second of those punts, which came against Boone Grove, was downed inside the 10-yard line.

Although there are no statistics for it, Davenport’s effort as a lead blocker has been vital for Whiting (12-0), which has rushed for 2,945 yards.

There’s no telling how Davenport will be used at the regional championship game against Bremen (10-2) at 7 p.m. Friday.

But one thing’s for sure. He’ll embrace any responsibility.

“I just do what I have to do, whatever the coaches ask me,” Davenport said. “If they’re asking you to do something, how can you say no?”